1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to fixtures for displaying articles of merchandise in retail stores, and more particularly to merchandise displays that can be configured and reconfigured for different requirements of the selling seasons.
2. Background Art
The sale of merchandise in retail stores invariably requires the use of display fixtures, such as racks, display cases, peg-board displays, gondola-type displays, xe2x80x9cislandxe2x80x9d displays, etc., hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cdisplays.xe2x80x9d These displays are manufactured in a wide variety of configurations to accommodate a wide variety of merchandise.
The demand for some types of merchandise is cyclic or seasonal due to the nature of the merchandise. For example, xe2x80x9cback-to-schoolxe2x80x9d merchandise, such as school clothing and supplies, are in great demand in the months leading up to the start of the academic year. The Christmas selling season is another example of the cyclic demand for a wide variety of consumer goods. Retail stores are constantly adjusting their inventory to meet these expected seasonal demands.
With adjustments in inventory, there arises the need to reconfigure, knock-down or set-up, reduce or expand, re-organize, rotate, and update the displays in the store. Such efforts are time consuming, and require skilled labor, storage space, maintenance, inventory of tools, parts and material, and sometimes require the hiring of outside services. This problem is further exacerbated by the intricate and inflexible display apparatus typically found in retail stores today. Efforts to overcome this problem have be proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,078 (1978) to Radek and U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,477 (1976) to Bruderly et al. However, the systems proposed in these patents still require a significant amount of time, effort, skill, and parts to reconfigure the displays.
Other efforts have been directed to making the displays adjustable by way of expanding and contracting rods, rails, headers and columns. Examples of such efforts are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,778 (1990) to Ferdinand et al.; 4,655,352 (1987) to Noyes et al.; 4,611,866 (1986) to Everett; 4,488,652 (1984) to Hinton et al.; 4,326,637 (1982) to James; and 2,987,195 to Smith. The adjustability of these displays is somewhat limited in that they merely employ a standard unidirectional telescoping arrangement for a rail, rod, column, or header. The patent to Noyes et al. discloses a bi-directional telescoping header; however, its range of expansion is limited by the standard co-axial arrangement of the telescoping components. Furthermore, none of these patents propose such telescoping arrangements for display panels, a key component of large island or aisle displays. The arrangements proposed by the above-mentioned patents would severely limit the range of expansion/contraction in such large displays.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide display apparatus and methods that avoid the limits and problems associated with the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to a provide display apparatus that has a flexible design.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a display apparatus that is very easy to configure and reconfigure in the store, as the requirements of the selling seasons change.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide display apparatus that are easy to move, position and use.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide display apparatus that can be used either as a permanent display or as a seasonal, portable display.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide display apparatus that are flexible enough to be easily combined with more seasonal or temporary displays.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a display apparatus that can be configured for many different display applications.
It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide display apparatus and methods that maximize the range of expansion and contraction of display components, thus increasing the range of applications for such apparatus and methods.
It is yet still a further object of the present invention to provide display apparatus that do not require nuts and bolts or other fasteners to configure and reconfigure the display.
It is yet still a further object of the present invention to provide display apparatus, the configurable parts of which (e.g., panels and headers) are connected to the display, so that such parts are not lost or misplaced.
It is yet still a further object of the present invention to provide display apparatus, the configurable parts of which (e.g., panels and headers) can be stored on or within the display, thus reducing the need for storage space.
It is yet still a further object of the present invention to provide a display apparatus that is substantially pre-assembled when shipped to the store.
These and other objects are attained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided an expandable display apparatus. The apparatus comprises a main display unit and first and second expandable display panels. The main unit is defined as having a centerline axis. The main unit includes a pair of side walls oriented substantially along and disposed on opposite sides of the centerline axis. One or both of the side walls may include a display panel or the side walls may, themselves, be display panels. The main unit contains first and second end openings oriented substantially across the centerline axis and disposed in opposing spaced-apart relation. The end openings communicate with a storage space located between the pair of side walls.
The display panels have distal and proximal ends and top and bottom ends. These panels are removably stored side-by-side in the storage space and are movable in opposite directions through the first and second end openings, respectively. The panels are movable along respective paths between respective stored positions substantially inside the storage space and respective extended positions substantially outside the storage space. The distal ends of the panels lead the panels out through the end openings when the panels are moved from the stored positions toward the extended positions. In the preferred embodiment, the display panels are aligned with the centerline axis of the main unit, when the panels are in the extended position.
In a typical embodiment, the display apparatus includes first and second end caps. The rear side of the first end cap faces the first end opening of the main display unit and adjoins the distal end of the first display panel. The rear side of the second end cap faces the second end opening of the main unit and adjoins the distal end of the second display panel. A first expansion header is coupled at one end to the main unit, above the first end opening, and is coupled at the other end to the first end cap, such that the first header is secured above the first display panel. A second expansion header is coupled at one end to the main unit, above the second end opening, and is coupled at the other end to the second end cap, such that the second header is secured above the second display panel.
The main display unit may also include a header. In such case, the first and second expansion headers are coupled to the main unit header. The main unit header contains a storage space configured and dimensioned to securely store the first and second expansion headers therein. The main display unit may be supported on casters, and the distal ends of the first and second display panels may also be supported by casters.
In a typical embodiment, the display of the present invention includes support mechanisms for the first and second display panels. These mechanisms support the display panels through their respective paths of movement, between stored and extended positions. Each of the support mechanisms includes top and bottom swing arms, each having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal ends of the swing arms are pivotally coupled to top and bottom walls, respectively, of the main unit. The distal ends of the swing arms are both rotatably and slidably coupled to the top and bottom ends, respectively, of the display panel. Top and bottom slide bearings are rotatably mounted to the distal ends of the top and bottom swing arms, respectively. The display panel includes top and bottom slide channels at its top and bottom ends, respectively. The top and bottom slide bearings slidably engage the top and bottom slide channels, respectively.
An apparatus for shipping a display is also contemplated by the present invention. The shipping apparatus comprises a base, a ramp, a brace, and a securing mechanism. The base has a perimeter which includes an exit side. In one embodiment, the ramp is hinged to the base at the exit side. The ramp pivots at least between an inclined rest position and an upright shipping position. In another embodiment, the ramp may be a separate component. The brace is mounted along the perimeter of the base, for containing the display on the base. The brace includes a brace member removably secured along the exit side of the base. The securing mechanism, which may be a plurality of threaded bolts, is employed for securing the display to the base. In shipping, the display is contained on and secured to the base, and the ramp is in the upright position. In unpacking, the brace member and the securing mechanism are removed, and the ramp is lowered to the inclined position. This allows the display to be moved off the base, down the ramp, and to a desired location.